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Johnny.
It was her favorite thing to call her lover. Mostly because the first it slipped out El received a confused expression, bordering on annoyed. He wasn’t used to anything other than my love or captain as pet names from her — to be honest, it was him that loved using different terms of endearment.
Darling, sunshine, love, baby, honey, sweetheart. All of these and more.
The only time he stopped was when the both of them were back on base, her a medic and him the captain. Both a part of serious roles that didn’t need any distractions or meddling from their teammates.
So when she started calling him Johnny at home it wasn’t too far fetched to think it would’ve slipped out at some point at base.
“Johnny, my love, could you pass me the salt,” Elspeth said, not looking directly at her lover, but at the scrambled eggs she had just made. The deafening silence that followed was also something she didn’t catch.
Only when she turned around, annoyed that the salt was not in her hands by now, did she see Soap, Gaz and Price look at her completely bewildered. The former was sporting a blush on his cheeks, which was unheard of, Gaz had narrowed his eyes, but John— well, he just sighed.
“Did I miss somethi—” Gaz asked looking between El and Soap, to which he got immediately cut off by Price’s harsh “No!”
He looked slightly irked, but the insinuation was what brought the possessive side of him to light. Shoulders tense, arms crossed over his chest in an almost painful embrace, his jaw tense as well.
“Gaz, you’re needed in the gym,” Price said, “Ghost needs assistance.”
“But Ghost doesn’t need—”
“Now.”
With the three of them left, Soap looked even more bewildered than before. As if he did something wrong and was not aware of it. Granted, he always had disliked anyone else calling him ’Johnny’ other than Ghost (who she was sure Soap was a bit afraid of to say anything), but the confused look made her feel as if that was not the problem in this instance.
Her and John’s relationship wasn’t a secret but it also wasn’t anything they hid away from the team. Ghost knew from the beginning, and the other two were bound to figure it out.
“That was not directed at me was it?” Soap asked, his looked between the pair. El shook her head, her own cheeks beginning to sport a rosy color themselves. Price still looked pissed at Gaz’s earlier insinuation.
“Huh,” Soap said, nodding to himself as if trying to wrap his head around her calling their captain anything other than, well, captain.
“We didn’t mean to keep it a secret or anything,” El said quickly, “privacy is already non-existent here, so—”
“So we don’t want any of you meddling with our business,” Price finished, looking directly at Soap, one of the biggest gossips.
Soap nodded, still not really looking at either of them, “So back when I made that pass at you, you were Price’s girlfriend?” He asked, the shameful blush coming back.
“Fianceé,” Price corrected, raising an eyebrow.
“Fianceé,” Soap said, more to himself than anyone, “And when Gaz tried—”
“Girlfriend,” El said, going back to three years ago when Gaz tried hitting on her as well but instead was met with a polite rejection.
“So that’s why he was so pissy,” Soap said, inclining his head towards Price.
“You have any more questions?” Price asked forcefully.
“Is the ‘Johnny’ thing some kind of kinky—”
“Fucking christ, no,” Price replied, palming his forehead in exasperation. Elspeth’s blush became more prominent.
Soap raised his hands in surrender, “Sorry! I just thought that maybe the two of you were into roleplaying—”
“Do not finish that sentence, Sergeant,” Price growled, looking as murderous as El felt, “She usually uses it at home, it must’ve slipped out.”
Soap nodded, only giving that as a response, and starting backing away, “Ghost needs me,” he said as he exited the kitchen.
When John turned back to her, she still wore a sheepish looks. “Oops,” she said as a response, to which her lover chuckled and wrapped his hands around her waist. “Now they know.”
He hummed, running his hands up and down her back, sometimes a little bit lower than usual, which left her slightly out of breath. His large palms usually stayed away from her body on base, it was what they agreed on. No touching in public, for both of their sake’s, but it still felt good to feel him, if only through clothes. It almost made her forget about the awkwardness of what happened minutes before.
“Didn’t know that to scare Soap away you just needed to use his name,” he said, his face close to hers.
“And with an added ‘my love’.”
At that John’s eyebrows furrowed, “that’s the last time he’s ever going to hear that word from you.”
She groaned, “it wasn’t even directed at him,” she said as she needed the muscles on his forearms, knowing he loved it.
“But the muppet thought it was,” he said, his tone losing the seriousness, “we’ll have to find a way for the both of you to communicate without talking to each other on missions from now on.”
She slapped his hands, “oh, shut up,” and kissed him, the motion tender and comforting.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” they heard Soap groan.
“ Get out! ” Elspeth said, as she moved back to kiss her husband’s lips.